Mental prep before attempting lifts

[Gavin Jones]

What prep do you do? Any specific words/routine you work through in your head?

This goes for weightlifting and powerlifting

[glennpendlay]

ive seen lots of lifters get ready for heavy attempts, no two are the same. One thing that I think stands true for everyone, before you walk up to the bar the psyching up, convincing yourself you can do it, etc, should all be over with. Never walk up and grasp a bar that you dont think you can lift. Once you begin your "final approach" to the bar, everything should be done the same wither its 60kg or 160kg. No hesitation, no stalling, etc.

[Steven Low]

Empty your mind and let your body DO. Like Glenn said.. no hesistation or stalling.

Make up your own routine if you so desire but keep these things in mind.

[Jean-Patrick Millette]

''come on you are not a faggot. I know you can do this. This is easy. Not only you have to lift it, you need to lift it to achieve your goals.''

thats what i keep telling me before lifts ahha. at least it works.

[Kris Reeves]

I talk shit to the bar for a few seconds to get thinking positive, but as soon as I've psyched myself up, I shut up and clear my head...turn on auto-pilot and just do it.

For what it's worth, someone (a power-lifting guy) told me once that the most successful lifters (successful in that they have a high percentage of completed attempts) on average clear their head for 10 seconds before the lift. I don't know if he pulled that out of his ass or what...but I figure I'd just pass that nugget along.

[Arden Cogar Jr.]

Gavin,
I've competed in about 20 powerlifting comps (last one was 1990), 1 weightlifting comps (two weeks ago), and nearly 100,000 lumberjack sporting events (10 events at most competitions - I've competed for the past 30 years at as many as 30 events per year - and sometimes more, but not as much in recent years). I don't even want to think about how many training sessions I've had over the past 30 years....I've not missed many sessions and I love training more than I do competing.

The approach I take to the bar, the axe, the saw, and the chainsaw is the same. I do it before every training session, be that lumberjack event or in the gym.

I'm reminded of the first two lines of an En Vogue song entitled "Free your mind."

- "Free your mind. And the rest will follow. Be color blind, don't be so shallow......"

I've spent the past six years meditating, practicing tai chi and yoga daily. Learning to "free the mind" is a wonderful thing.

You simply think of nothing and allow the body to take over and respond. Rely upon your preparation. Make whatever you're doing become wrote memory. Make your neural pathways adapt to this mode. Even during your training. Especially during your training. That's the reason for your training.

Hope that helps?

all the best,
Arden